Interieur van de Salon van Lodewijk XIV in het Palais des Tuileries, Parijs 1864 - 1879

This stereoscopic card shows the Salon of Louis XIV in the Palais des Tuileries, Paris, and was produced by an anonymous photographer. Stereoscopic cards such as these became a popular source of entertainment in the mid-nineteenth century, presenting scenes of life in distant countries. Here, though, rather than documenting a far-off locale, we see the interior of one of the key sites of the French state, which gives us an insight into the ways that the French monarchy sought to present itself. With its ostentatious chandelier, expensive looking furniture, and imposing portrait, the photograph showcases the power and wealth of the Bourbon monarchy. Yet the decision to document this space through the novel medium of photography also reveals something of the period's changing social structures, with the mass production of images allowing wider audiences to engage with spaces that had previously been restricted to a social elite. By looking into archives, one can delve deeper into the historical context of photography in 19th century France and the role of royal imagery in shaping political opinion.